Website of the UK government

Finding recycled products on the high street

The most common recycled product is paper – you can find recycled toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, envelopes and packing materials, and printer, copier and writing paper.

Many manufacturers are now using recycled materials in their packaging too, for example plastic you’ve recycled can get used again in plastic bottles and food containers.

There are a few labelling schemes that can help if you’re looking for recycled materials in your shopping:

• the Mobius Loop symbol with a percentage inside the loop shows that a product contains that percentage of recycled material
• for paper and board, the NAPM (National Association of Paper Merchants) Recycled Mark indicates that the product is made from at least 50 per cent genuine recovered fibre

• More on recycling and packaging labels
• More information about the NAPM Recycled logo Opens new window

Buy recycled products from specialist shops or websites

There’s a surprisingly wide range of products made of recycled materials, including:

• newspapers
• clothing, including fleeces made of recycled plastic
  
• glassware
• furniture
• play materials
• tiles and bathroom fittings

• The UK recycled products guide Opens new window

Recycle what you’ve finished with

Manufacturers that use recycled materials can only do so if everyone else does their bit by recycling what they buy and use. You’d be surprised what can be recycled.

• More on recycling
• Find out what you can recycle Opens new window

The wider issue

Recycling is important because it reduces the huge amounts of waste that are generated every year and then have to be disposed of – usually in landfill sites or through incineration – and the energy which is wasted when processed or hard-to-extract materials are discarded.

For the recycling industry to be able to work there has to be a market for recycled materials. By buying recycled products you are closing the loop and ensuring that these valuable materials don’t go to waste.

• More on waste and resource use

More useful links

• Find out what happens to the paper you recycle Opens new window
• Find out how to reduce your rubbish Opens new window
• Disposal of hazardous waste (home and community section)
• Disposal of bulky items (home and community section)